Saturday night marked the 10-year anniversary for The Rock Pit boys and it’s safe to say the team celebrated in style! Mark, Sean & Andrew, hand-picked extremely talented musicians and chose The Evelyn Hotel as ground zero for the event. There were no free-loaders on this bill. These bands were chosen for good reason and at 20 bucks a ticket, it was terrific value for money. Further to that the boys were auctioning off awesome prize packs and souvenirs to us rather spoilt fans.
The night began perfectly, with an intermate and laidback acoustic set from the normally chaotic Cicadastone. A couple of wines and some casual banter with the crowd gave this set a personable ‘home in your lounge’ kinda feel. The boys stepping in late notice and performing tonight as a duo, eased punters into the early stages of this awesome rock bill like an old man into a warm bath … while The Silent Deeds came and dropped the hair dryer in it!
This ripping little three-piece from across the Nullarbor fired out a punchy set that grabbed the attention of the filling venue and stated quite obviously to anyone who would listen, “Hey! We’re pretty excited to be here!” Their songs were catchy and their stage presence oozed fun. Nice work to the Rock Pit for smuggling these guys in their suitcases.
With The Evelyn starting to fill, and excitement building, enter the extremely talented four piece Echo Del Tusker. They snatched the baton and took off running … hard! With a powerful set of lungs fronting the band, Estelle Artois and the team of extraordinary musicians are a must see live. Excited guitar nerds like myself got a schooling in some smooth and tasty guitar playing. The Hendrix-esque guitar licks here, were worth the admission alone. These guys kept building and raising the bar until they couldn’t possibly raise it anymore, and then they did it again! Awesome display of talent that finished way too soon. “Leave them wanting more!” they say…
With a venue full of support and a well earnt confidence in their new album, WARBIRDS walked to the stage ten foot tall and bulletproof. Anth Nekich looking all of 10 foot as his head threatened the support beam directly above him. No David Lee Roth jumps in this venue! WARBIRDS launched their new album ‘From The Chaos’ on the night and welcomed their screaming pride & Joy to the world in a hail of bullet riffs. The crunching three piece brought their new album to life with typical bone jarring style. Another cracking display of guitar work was delivered to the guitar geeks, with Nekich absolutely wringing the neck of his guitars, exhausting every note and harmonic squeal he could squeeze from the poor things. The live set brilliantly showcased the new album and had everyone backslapping the boys at the completion of the set. Congratulations guys!
Last but certainly not least was the epic and jaw dropping show that is Palace Of The King. Tim Henwood and gang took to the stage and delivered their fast, fuzz drenched, 60’s/70’s inspired rock with passion and credibility, like they had been doing it since the 60’s/70’s. Catchy, professional and super tight, this powerful quartet never missed a beat. Each song winding up in an epic battle between musicians. Each member pushing each other to go harder, faster and louder to the delight of everyone who was there for the ride. The finale came far too soon for my liking.
Cicadastone, The Silent Deeds, Echo Del Tusker, WARBIRDS and Palace of the King all smashed their sets and left nothing in the tank, which spoke volumes (and decibels) in appreciation for the Rock Pit boys and their work supporting live music. Thank you to everyone who performed on the night, it was an absolute pleasure watching you in your element. A special shout out to Mark, Sean & Andrew from the Rock Pit for celebrating their 10 years in rock with a line up of worthy musicians who are expertly carrying the torch for Rock into the future. Long may it burn.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Sharon Burgess Photography
